


Brotherly Concern

by Lailuva



Series: 101 Yoditos AU [20]
Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: 101 Yoditos AU, Brothers, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Gen, Protective Older Brothers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 12:34:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29453883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lailuva/pseuds/Lailuva
Summary: Ika'ika suffers from genetic abnormalities and needs far more help than Din alone can provide.  Grogu isn't so convinced yet.
Relationships: Din Djarin & Grogu | Baby Yoda, Din Djarin & Ika'ika, Din Djarin & the 101
Series: 101 Yoditos AU [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2065464
Comments: 12
Kudos: 42





	Brotherly Concern

**Author's Note:**

> From an anonymous Tumblr prompt: “Who told you that?” For the 101 AU please

Din scanned his room, making sure he hadn’t forgotten anything. His armor was on, he’d packed extra weaponry onto the _Crest,_ and he had extra supplies on board just in case his trip and stay on Coruscant took longer than expected. Skywalker had promised that he’d make sure Din got anything he needed and even offered his own place for Din to stay, but even though Din respected the Jedi Master well enough by now, he still preferred to be self-reliant.

He found the Mandalorians squeaker toy Ika’ika was so fond of under his bed and tucked it into a pouch on his belt, hoping it wouldn’t make any noise at the wrong time. All that was left was to retrieve his littlest one, and then they could depart.

The kids were outside, being entertained by Skywalker - they loved playing their sorcery games with an adult who could actively participate, not just repeat “Don’t lift me up!” - but Din had left Ika’ika in his crib because he was asleep, and needed the rest before the trip. He walked over to the bassinet in the middle of the room. “Ika’ika. Are you awake?”

He looked inside. Ika’ika was not there.

Din sighed. Impossibly tiny, so many genetic abnormalities Din didn’t even know if he would survive another year, only started crawling a few months ago, and he was still the finest escape artist of the entire clan.

Well, at least he’d grabbed the damn squeaker. “Ika’ika,” called Din. “Ika’ika. Come here.” He squeezed the toy, which squeaked obnoxiously. Nothing.

“Ika’ika.” He squeaked the toy again, pacing quietly through the room. “Ika’ika, I’ve got your favorite toy for you.” He activated his HUD, scanning for tracks, and to his surprise saw not Ika’ika’s miniature prints, but one of the older kids’ larger footprints.

“Ika’ika?” The tracks led to the hallway, over towards the kitchen and into one of the cabinets. Din switched off the HUD and squeaked the toy again. This time, a returning squeak came from the cabinet, along with a “Shh!”

Din crouched down and opened the cabinet, finding his oldest and youngest tucked among the foodstuffs. Ika’ika squealed happily, drooling down his front and immediately reaching out for Din, but Yod’ika shrank back, clutching Ika’ika tightly in his arms.

“What are you two doing in here?” Din asked. Yod’ika kept his mouth pressed tightly shut, clinging harder to Ika’ika, who giggled and squirmed.

“You need to be gentle with him,” Din reminded Yod’ika. He reached out a hand. “Give him here.”

“No!” said Yod’ika, to Din’s surprise, scooting further back into the cabinet.

“Yod’ika,” said Din, trying to sound both stern and patient. Yod’ika was never more prone to acting out than when Din was about to leave, but much as Din wanted him to be reassured he didn’t want Yod’ika thinking that delaying the trip was acceptable. “You know Ika’ika and I are leaving with Skywalker this morning. You need to give him to me.”

“No!” cried Yod’ika, yanking Ika’ika away and shoving himself further back into the cabinet. “No, I won’t let you!”

Now the light reached Yod’ika’s face and to Din’s surprise, he could see tears welling up in his son’s eyes. “Ad’ika? What’s wrong?”

The tears spilled all over Yod’ika’s face. “You’re g-gonna take him a-away!” wailed Yod’ika, clutching his littlest brother close. “Y-you’re gonna g-give him t-t-to _doctors_ and they’re gonna keep him in a _lab_ and - and -” He dissolved into sobs, unable to finish.

Din was torn between concern and sheer bemusement. “Who told you that, ad’ika?”

“I h-heard you and M-Mister Luke and M-Miss L-Leia t-talking about it!” cried Yod’ika. “Y-You’re gonna take h-him away and leave him there!”

“Of course I wouldn’t do that,” said Din.

“Yes you _would!”_ screamed Yod’ika.

It was like a vibroknife had gone straight through his beskar. Of course, why would Yod’ika think otherwise? Hadn’t he taken Yod’ika - a little, innocent child who knew nothing about bounty hunting, only a Mandalorian he already loved enough to save him from a charging mudhorn - and left him in the hands of demagolke? Din had never figured out what had happened during those terrible few hours he’d left Yod’ika there, but the equipment he had seen and the fact that Yod’ika never, ever spoke a word about what he’d faced had been enough to convince Din it had been horrible.

Without thinking, Din scooped them both up and held them close. Belatedly, he wondered if he’d only scared Yod’ika more, but his son clutched tightly to his jumpsuit and cried, face buried in Din’s cloak. Ika’ika reached out for the toy that had fallen from Din’s hands, and it floated up into the air until he was able to nab it and start gnawing on it.

Din adjusted them both so he could pat Yod’ika’s back, rubbing circles on it and murmuring soothing things until finally the crying died down to sniffles, trying to think about how to explain everything to Yod’ika. He couldn’t leave like this, not with his son sobbing and afraid for his brother.

Carefully, Din set Ika’ika in his lap, making sure he was occupied enough by the toy and trapped in Din’s legs so that the clan’s master escape artist would have trouble trying to run. Hearing Yod’ika stop crying, he placed his eldest on his knee, wiping away tears from his face. “Listen, ad’ika,” he said. “I promise, I _promise_ I won’t let anyone hurt Ika’ika. I am _not_ leaving him. I am going to stay with him, and bring him back home. I _promise.”_

Yod’ika sniffled hugely, swiping at his tear-streaked cheeks, looking doubtful.

Din took the corner of his cloak to wipe his son’s face some more. “Do you remember what I told you? About why you have all your brothers?”

“Y-yes.” Yod’ika swallowed, scrubbing at his face, and continued, “You s-said they took my genes a long time ago, when I don’t ’member. From my b-blood or something. And they made lots of copies of me.”

“Yes, they cloned you,” said Din, his chest hurting. No child should have to know this, or have it explained to them.

“B-but when they made my vode they changed my genes,” said Yod’ika. “So they’re the same as me. But different too.”

“Yes, that’s right. Lots of differences, some you can see, some you can’t.” Din scooped up Ika’ika, keeping him from crawling up Din’s leg and setting him back safely in his lap. “Like what color your skin is.”

“’Cuz we’re all different,” said Yod’ika, nodding. “But especially Ika’ika.”

“Yes.” Din glanced down; Ika’ika’s almost-white skin was stark against the dark blue onesie he was wearing. All the kids were varying shades of green from genetic manipulation, or so the files he’d stolen from Kamino said, but where the others were subtle variations, not noticeable at a glance, Ika’ika’s pale green stood out. “Especially Ika’ika.”

Din chewed at his lip, trying to figure out how to phrase it and get Yod’ika to understand. “It’s not just color, though,” he said. “And not just the Kaminoans who changed the genes. The sample from you they had… as they got older, they degraded.”

“What’s de-grade-ed mean?”

“Um…” Din glanced around, thinking, then said, “Starting to break down. Like my old cloak, the one with holes in it.”

“Oh.”

Yod’ika nodded thoughtfully and seemed to understand, so Din continued. “The gene sample was breaking down when they made Ika’ika. So his genes aren’t just different, but some of them are… not the way they’re supposed to be either. Broken, or without the right copies he’s supposed to have. And because of that, he’s not as healthy as he should be.”

Yod’ika’s ears drooped as he looked down at his younger brother. “But _you_ take care of him, Dad,” he said. “He doesn’t need anyone else…”

“Well, I don’t know everything, ad’ika,” said Din. He scooped up Ika’ika in a bout of need to hold the tiny precious infant; the baby rolled over in his hands and squealed in delight, unperturbed by the serious conversation his father and brother were having about him. “I can’t do a good job taking care of him if I don’t know what he needs.”

Yod’ika leaned forward; Din tilted his hands so Yod’ika could peer at his little brother, who was now entertaining himself by grabbing Din’s fingers and trying to eat them. “He looks fine. And he’s happy.”

“I know,” said Din. “And I want to keep him that way.” He caught Ika’ika before the baby could flop right out of his hands. “Remember he got a rash from that first kind of diaper we got him? And how he got sick from some kinds of food? It might get better as he gets older, or it might get worse. If someone looks at his genes, they can maybe tell me what kind of help he needs.”

Yod’ika scowled fiercely. “You _are_ taking him to a doctor! In a lab!”

“Well, her title is doctor. And yes, she works in a lab. But she’s a geneticist.” Din stroked his son’s head reassuringly. “That means she knows about genes. She can help Ika’ika. She’s not going to hurt him.”

Yod’ika shook his head, starting to cry again. “You can’t take him there, Dad! You _can’t!”_

“Listen to me, ad’ika.” Din set Ika’ika down in his lap and cupped Yod’ika’s face in his hands. “This is _not_ like the place I took you to before. Or the place where we found your brothers. Master Skywalker told me this place is safe, and I believe him. I would _never_ take Ika’ika there if I thought he would be hurt.”

Yod’ika sniffled, glancing down at Ika’ika. “What if it is bad? What if they try to take him away from you?”

“Then I’ll shoot them.”

“What if there are lots and lots of bad people? Too many for you to shoot them all?”

“Master Skywalker said he would help me.” Din wiped a stray tear from Yod’ika’s cheek. “He knows about how we found your brothers. He promised he would tell me if Ika’ika felt too scared in the Force, and that we could leave any time we wanted to.”

Yod’ika scooted closer, curling up at Din’s side. “You won’t leave Ika’ika there? You promise?”

Din hugged him close. “I promise. Haat, ijaa, haa’it.”

Yod’ika leaned into the hug, staying there for a long moment before he reached down and picked up Ika’ika instead. “It’s okay, Ika’ika,” he said, clumsily rocking his brother, who giggled at the sensation. “Dad will take care of you.”

“Is he scared?” asked Din. Yod’ika in his oldest brothers were very good at picking up on what the babies felt, a skill he relied on frequently.

“No,” said Yod’ika. “He likes being with you.”

“Then he’ll be happy. Because he’s going to stay with me, no matter what,” Din told Yod’ika firmly.

Yod’ika held Ika’ika for a long moment, but then finally handed him over to Din.


End file.
